Importance and Lack of Sleep - Research Paper Example

Sleep Introduction Sleep is a naturally recurring of loss of consciousness from the outside world accompanied by a progressive decrease in muscle tone. It occurs at regular intervals and plays a vital role in the health of a person. The sleep-wake cycle is one of the fundamental cycles in animals: the circadian rhythm. In humans, sleep occupies nearly a third of life. Sleep is distinguished from the unconscious (or coma) in the preservation of reflexes and the ability of the sleeping person to open their eyes and respond to voice and touch. There is an organization of sleep and its three states. There is talk of circadian rhythm for the alternation between waking and sleep. It is a question of cycle ultradian for the alternation between NREM and REM sleep. Sleep ventrolateral preoptic nucleus depends on Ventrolateral preoptic nucleus (VLPO). Triggered by the daily accumulation of adenosine, the VLPO sends centers stimulation signal to stop the production of histamine and other substances that keep us awake. Sleep can be considered as an altered state of consciousness. Its peculiarity is that it is based on a state of maximum rest and relaxation; this is why it is refreshing. According to sleep specialists, the voltage to be aware (this voltage gradually depletes the nervous system but can respond to the existence) is found in the sensation of the eyes. When the individual falls asleep and the eyelids are closed, the voltage decreases. More arrival pictures of dream are a support for the mind in that it relies on. The human being visualizes images that impose themselves but are not required and built in effort, and it gives the mind the feeling of relaxation. This is how the images are of a hypnotic dream, and it is this process that relies on the Hypnosis. Importance Sleep is the act of entering at rest. It is extremely important for human beings, and once a person goes to sleep, several metabolic processes important for the body take place. In short, sleep contributes to our physical and psychological health. One of the benefits of sleep is its contribution to the health recovery in cases of illness, and on intimate terms to the cell and contribution to the good condition of the immune system. Specialists claim that sleep disturbances may be significant barriers to recovery from illness. There is consistent evidence that sleep deprivation causes increased risk of diabetes, blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. Sleep also contributes to mental and emotional wellbeing (Franklin and Lehrman). Those people who manage to sleep well have a greater ability to concentrate, self-control and personal tasks and professionals. Little sleep negatively alters the ability of concentration, learning, memory and logical thinking individual. Some theories say the sleep also contributes to brain growth, may erase memories and consolidate memory. In relation to the amount of sleep needed to rest one right, there is no consensus among specialists. However, in various studies and researched, it is observed that an individual should ideally take about seven hours of sleep. Basically, teh sleep can be divided sleep into two stages: REM (Rapid Eye Movement) and NREM (Non-Rapid Movement Of The Eyes). Teh researchers have unraveled a health risks in people who cannot sleep well. According to them, these people either become a victim to depression or overweight. The medical experts recommend that an individual has to take an average sleep of 6-8 hours every day (Turk). Women are more likely to gain weight if they sleep lesser than men. Lack of Sleep The lack of sleep can cause disorders in a human body. Various processes such as respiration, cardiovascular, and other related to metabolism are associated with the quality and quantity of sleep. There are many research studies and investigations that have been conducted in order to discover the disorders related to the lack of sleep showing teh direct relationship between the two variables, sleep and health. Numerous studies have discovered that the disturbances in sleep may aggravate and worsen some psychiatric and medical problems and this problem in turn, direct to changes in the quality of sleep. This bidirectional relationship is a general indication of teh cardiovascular and respiratory diseases as well as other metabolic diseases, depression or chronic pain in the body. Moreover, coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus or heart failure is the risks connected to the high prevalence of sleep apnea in patients with chronic bronchitis and asthma, and sleep quality is generally poor. In fact, it can be seen harmed by any kind of disturbance in the air in lung function or by hypoxia (low oxygen in the blood). It is mentioned by various published studies, that the daily lives of people are affected adversely by the allergic rhinitis and these changes, in turn, affect the individual’s sleep-wake cycle. It is not merely the nasal passage which damages an individuals sleep, but these harms extend to the entire respiratory tract and the patients with asthma, sleep apnea, or COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) also experience sleep disturbances frequently. Furthermore, the variations in the quality and quantity of sleep, and the obesity are also clearly linked with each other (“Beauty sleep: experimental study on the perceived health and attractiveness of sleep deprived people”). It is something which has been found among 17,465 students from 27 countries with shortened sleep (less than seven hours) whose health was not very good in both sexes. They also partnered the subjective impression of a shortened duration of nighttime sleep with poorer glycemic control in diabetic patients. Finally, a comprehensive study based on 31,044 surveys conducted in 2002 indicates that, like other previous research, there is a positive relationship between insomnia symptoms and common physical and mental illnesses such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart failure, anxiety or depression. Using data from surveys, the scientists deduced that 5% of adults with insomnia Americans use alternative medicines to treat your insomnia, although little is known about their effectiveness. Sleep is thought to be naturally induced by the cessation of secretion of histamine, the neurotransmitter that allows the brain to stay awake. Regulating the sleep-wake cycle is controlled by a dual process: homeostatic and circadian. On the one hand, the circadian process (true internal biological clock) is aligned with the alternation of day and night (circadian rhythm) by factors as external synchronization. The circadian rhythm is expressed throughout the body by a decrease in temperature with a brain hormone, the Melatonin, which is synthesized during the night by the pineal gland (Center of Disease Control and Prevention). The schedule of secretion of this hormone depends in part on genetic factors (subjects evening or morning), but is also modulated by stimuli such as outdoor lighting, food intake, heat production and social training. On the other hand, the process homeostasis (the tendency to return to a state of equilibrium) is a kind of timer that alternates periods of wakefulness and sleep. The sleep propensity increases gradually during the day, then dissipate during the night while sleeping. The molecular mechanisms responsible for this homeostatic process are not yet known. In practice, sleepiness and sleep, therefore, occur due to the synergistic effect of two factors: firstly extended wakefulness and circadian synchronization on the other. It has been shown in 2008 that exposure to sunlight improves symptoms associated with disorders of sleep cycles, but studies that tied the oral melatonin improved sleep are more controversial. At the evolutionary level, one hypothesis is that sleep is an archaic reflex against the fear of the dark. Sleep consists of different phases of consciousness. These are not uniform. They are not necessarily present during a nights sleep. Dream is one of teh forms of consciousness. It is a thought that the dream takes place exclusively during REM sleep, or REM. In fact, the probability of obtaining a memory of the dream is about 80% if the person wakes up during the REM phase, and 20% out of this phase. This calls into question the fact that dreams occur exclusively during REM sleep. Hallucinations occur respectively during the phase of sleep and during the recovery phase. It is actually quite sound or auditory experiences fleeting and do not develop dreams. Thinking activity is rather unfolded during non-REM sleep phases. This activity is likely to involve little or no sensory, and is unsophisticated compared to the activity of enlightenment, it is repetitive. Sleep Paralysis is manifested by paralysis of the body (physiological during REM sleep) while the subject is waking up. Despite intensive efforts, the subject cannot move for some time, which can trigger panic attacks. Some people think that it is in fact a "false alarm" during a dream; the dreamer possibly announces seeing a lucid dream. Night terrors is a parasomnia sleep (close to sleepwalking) and is common in children before 8 years and is manifested by a sudden awakening dissociated accompanied by cries of panic. The child is still half asleep and if you wake up completely, it is unable to explain. Thus, sleep is a refreshing process for the human body and plays a vital role in its everyday functioning. Without sleep or with lack of sleep, an individual may face problems ranging from depression and anxiety to diabetes and hypertension. It is medically recommended that individuals take a proper 6 to 8 hours of sleep everyday in order to stay fresh and healthy. Works Cited “Beauty sleep: experimental study on the perceived health and attractiveness of sleep deprived people.” BMJ (2010). Web. 31 Oct. 2012. . Center of Disease Control and Prevention. “Unhealthy Sleep-Related Behaviors.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (2011). Web. 31 Oct. 2012. . Franklin, Deborah, and Sally Lehrman. “A little sleep may be worse than none.” Health (Time Inc. Health) 10.6 (1996): 20. Web. 31 Oct. 2012. . Turk, Jeremy. “Sleep disorders in children and adolescents with learning disabilities and their management.” Advances in Mental Health and Learning Disabilities 4.1 (2010): 50-59. Web. 31 Oct. 2012. . Sleep disorders. Video. Web. 31 Oct. 2012. . Read More